Chalbi Desert and Marsabit National Park

After seeing the life around Lake Turkana and a sampling of the different tribes, we were eager to continue our safari with Gametrackers.  The road would lead us through the Chalbi Desert before getting back into civilization.  But before ending the tour, we’d stop by to see what wild animals we could find North of the Equator.

Day 4

The alarm went off with purpose as we wanted to get out and see the sunrise before we got into the car.  We walked along the sandy dirt roads to reach a spot that looked out over the village with the lake in the background.  As we set up the tripod, we caught more people’s attention and children started making their way over.  By the time we were done, a woman approached us and the broken conversation that ensued was her trying to charge us for using her land to take the picture.  As we clearly felt that was uncalled for, we gathered our things and continued on.

 

We made our way back to Palm Springs Hotel for breakfast and then headed into Gabra country.  Rufus took us away from Lake Turkana and the rocky landscape towards the sand.  We drove through the small village of Gassi and then left behind any sign of civilization.  The dirt was compact and quite hard as they hadn’t gotten rain in months.  As the wheels rolled along, there was a sudden pop and we stopped to see the damage.  The rear passenger tire looked as if someone had slashed it with a knife.  Rufus and Alfred jumped out and with the help of Tico the new tire was on the vehicle before we knew it.

 

As we continued through the desert, mirages appeared both far away and nearby.  The crazy part was how it looked as if a reflection was in the false body of water.  The tip of the hill could be seen in mirror image on the mirage and then disappeared once our angle changed.  With the windows down, we felt as it got hotter and hotter.  The goal was to find camels on their way to the oasis so we kept our eyes peeled for real water and trees.

 

In the middle of the flat, sandy desert was a cluster of acacia and palm trees.  There were camels scattered about and patches of grass coming through the dry ground.  The animals and their owners had walked far distances to reach water and they would have to make the return journey once it cooled off.

 

 

 

While we had the benefit of being in the car, it was still hot.  As we approached North Horr, we longed for a cold drink. The plan was to stop in the Gabra village and get anything that came out of the refrigerator.  We sat down amongst the people in brightly-colored fabrics and ordered a Fanta.  It turned out that the electricity had been cut off for a week so they could only offer us tea or coffee.  Even though Rufus tried to convince us that drinking something hot would help cool us off, we passed and went for a walk along the main street.

 

 

 

The road from there was extra bumpy as we passed groups of huts that were huddled together in the middle of nowhere.   We reached the small village of Kalacha and made our home for the night in Acacia Camp. The sun was still out in full force so we rested while strategically placing ourselves where the breeze would hit us.

 

 

Once it cooled off and the sun started to set, we got into the car and left the village behind us.  We drove into the desert and stopped in what used to be a lake thousands of years before.  The ground was cracked from dryness and we sat on our camp chairs to enjoy the show that was about to begin.  The sky changed from blue to orange and as we watched there was a large caravan of camels that walked along the horizon.

 

It became too dark to see anything so we made our way back.  Alfred had our meal waiting for us so we sat down to eat ugali (corn porridge).  The moon still wasn’t out so before we called it a night, we walked out to admire the stars.  There was very little electricity so we spent time trying to identify the constellations that we were used to before as we hadn’t been above the equator in months.

 

 

Day 5

Before we sat down for breakfast, Tico and I went for a walk around the domed homes.  There wasn’t much activity, but we stopped to talk with two ladies that had already begun their day.  They told us about their issues with water and electricity, but mentioned how much better it was compared to where they used to live as they were much more isolated before.  While we tried to get pictures of them, they believed that each click took blood from them so they were quite shy in front of the camera.

 

 

Once we’d eaten and loaded the car, we drove back into the desolate openness of the Chalbi Desert.  We stopped to see what we were driving on as the ground cracked as we moved.  Chalbi means salt in Gabra and this area of the desert was covered in a thin layer of salt.  Each of us picked up pieces and felt as it easily crumbled in our hands.  The granules stood out and we both took a small taste even though there wasn’t a doubt in our minds that it wasn’t the real thing.

 

 

 

As we continued on, we spotted a large group of camels in the distance. They spotted us and waved before starting to run towards us.  Rufus stopped and we waited for them to get closer.  The plan was to wait for them to approach and we would give them water while Tico snapped a few pictures.

While there were two of them, they reached us at different times.  The first came with their jugs and we started to fill them while the herd and the second boy followed not far behind.  The boy in the back had an automatic weapon for protection and even though we had given them water, he wanted to see what else he could get out of us.  He approached Tico and asked for money for the pictures he was taking.  Tico said no, but that didn’t stop the boy from patting the pockets of his shirt and pants in search of something.  About that time, Alfred popped his head around and cleared up the situation.  The boys and camels continued on their way and we got back in the car with a huge sigh of relief.

 

There were ostriches making their way across the desert and before we knew it we were reaching civilization again.  There was less sand and the ground changed from yellowish white to red to light brown.  We passed farmers that had their sheep, goats and camels grazing on the few shrubs that could exist in the harsh conditions.  Even though we were no longer in the desert, we found a patch of deep sand that caused us to look for another path.  Rufus maneuvered us around, but we needed up having to get in 4-wheel drive and go through it.  Up over an escarpment of rocks and then we were back on a tar road again.

 

We continued to pass the Rendille people grazing their animals and worked our way to the city of Marsabit.  It was much larger than the places we’d been over the past several days.  After stopping by the market to get a few supplies, we drove to the Kenya Wildlife Service’s headquarters to set up our tents.  There was no running water, but that didn’t stop Alfred from preparing our lunch.

Afterwards, we headed into Marsabit National Park to see what animals we could find.  We started by seeing baboons, buffalo and bushbuck.  Even after seeing so many animals since arriving in Africa, each situation was different so we haven’t stopped looking for the experiences.  This one would be special as it was our only opportunity to see animals in the Northern Hemisphere.

We climbed up the side of the mountain to reach Lake Paradise, a crater lake located at the top.  After seeing so much dry and infertile land, it was crazy to think that this much plant life could exist nearby.  There were buffalo near the water, but what stood out were the zebras.  Although similar to ones we had seen before, these were Grevy’s zebras.  They were much larger than the plains zebra and also had thinner stripes that stop at their belly.  Considering their endangered status, we were excited to see them.

 

After spending a good amount of time watching them and trying to find their identifying features, it was time to head back to camp.  On our way out, we spotted a couple waterbuck that are rarely seen in this park.  We got the campfire going and enjoyed the heat as the climate had changed since leaving the desert.  We ate close to the fire and kept an eye out for the resident buffalo.  His eyes were easy to find in the bush so walking to the toilet wasn’t of concern, yet we opted to not to do in the middle of the night.

 

 

Day 6

The rain started in the wee hours of the morning and we were covered in fog when we crawled out of the tent.  It was a mystical feeling with the tall trees, but slowly dissipated as we ate breakfast and packed up.  We drove past the Rendille people filling containers with water at a well.  The yellow jugs were lined up to hold their spot in line and they let their animals drink while they waited.

 

We went through villages of Gabra and Rendille tribespeople and noticed how their houses and appearance differed from one another.  Then, we entered the Kaisut Desert.  While not as vast at the Chalbi, it enabled us to see ostriches, Grant’s gazelles, and dik diks from the tar road.   We also had our eyes out for the gerenuk, which is a long-necked antelope.  Tico managed to see one and when we stopped the car it ran away.  But we got another chance not much further along.  This one entered in a staring contest with us and let us observe it on our own time.

 

 

Once it no longer entertained the idea of us watching it, we moved along to find a pack of vultures eating a gazelle. Of those present, the Nubian vulture, which is the largest in Africa, could be clearly seen when compared to the others.  We passed through more towns and then found a dry riverbed to stop for lunch.  There were Samburu people out grazing their sheep and goats and we decided to have a look around while Alfred prepared lunch.

 

There were two men walking in the riverbed and they informed us that there was an elephant wandering around as we were sandwiched between 2 different conservation areas.  We went on a search for the large mammal, but found nothing besides domesticated animals.  Lunch was served not long after and we continued South.  As luck had it, we happened to see a reticulated giraffe on the side of the road.  We quickly turned back around and again spent the time noticing the distinguishing features compared to the other types of giraffes we’d seen before.  At this point, we couldn’t believe the odds as we’d seen 3 of the animals that could only be found in this area.

 

We passed through hills while spotting a few more gerenuks before reaching Archers Post.  Alfred took care of some shopping while we people watched on the street.  Then, we pulled into our campsite along the Ewaso Nyiro River.  We were the only ones there so we set up our tents amongst the thorny bushes.  The river was the border of the Buffalo Springs National Reserve so we had hopes of seeing animals coming down for water.

We went to the river for sunset and watched as the sun disappeared behind a cloud.  After we finished dinner, we went back to the water to see what was happening.  We found a good spot to capture the scene through the camera lens and set up the tripod.  As we were walking away, we heard something in the bush nearby.

With the help of our lights, we could see an elephant eating a nearby tree.  We went back to where we’d just been standing and within seconds a community guard appeared to tell us to back away.  There was a bar-like structure with chairs not far away and he asked that we move there and wait.  Sure enough, the elephant quickly made his way to the water to drink and then continued eating.  Another elephant followed behind him and was much larger in size.  They both slowly worked on the trees next to river while we admired their ability to eat the thorny plant before calling it a night.

 

 Day 7

The next morning as we were climbing out of our tent Rufus walked by to tell us that the elephants were in camp.  We walked back to the river to find the same 2 elephants still eating on the plants.  They were finishing up on our side of the river and then one-by-one stepped into the flowing river.  Slowly, they drank as they walked to the other side and that was our sign to finish packing up.

 

It was a short drive to Nanyuki, but to get there we had to work our way back into the highlands.  The sides of the road were lined with green farms of tea and flower plantations as well smaller farmers that had a variety of crops.  We said our goodbyes to Rufus and Alfred and would have the afternoon to relax before the next adventure would begin.

Over the week of the tour, we went from the largest city in Kenya to the middle of nowhere.  We passed through the highlands, which is also the bread basket of the country, to the volcanic rock desert through brown sand and then the red dirt.  They took us around both sides of equator and left us to stay at the invisible line.  We saw over 5 different tribes that live in the region and witnessed a slice of what their daily lives consist of.  It also let us see animals we hadn’t seen before and opened our eyes to a side of Kenya that many don’t know about.

 

Helpful tips:

• Gametrackers‘ name came up continually when we looked at Lake Turkana and Northern Kenya. From our experience, we’d highly recommend using them.
• If you have the chance, go to Loiyangalani in May or June for their annual cultural festival.
• Even if you’ve seen wildlife in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s worth trying your luck above the equator.  There are different species and varieties compared to the south.